Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP) shares have seen their Schaff Trend Cycle gradually downtrend this week over the past few sessions. While this indicates negative price momentum, it also suggests that if the reading moves into oversold territory (STC of 30), then the liklihood of a reversal greatly increases. Investors will be watching very closely over the next few days to see if the trend contiunes or reverses.

The Schaff Trend Cycle (STC) indicator combines the common indicators of MACD & Stochastic. The benefit of the Schaff Trend Cycle is that it is meant to be quicker than the standard macd and stochastic signals. The indicator uses similar methods to a MACD i.e uses exponetial moving averages but applies a cycle factor to them. Then the ‘price’ is smoothed using a mofidied Wilders’ smoothing algorithm. The Schaff Trend Cycle indicator fluctuates between 0 and 100. Readings below 20 are considered oversold while readings above 80 are considered overbought. The STC indicator fluctuates between 0 and 100. Readings below 20 are considered oversold while readings above 80 are considered overbought.

Moving to some additional technical metrics, we note that Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP) presently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -25.35. The CCI was created to typically stay within the reading of -100 to +100. Traders may use the indicator to determine if a stock is trending or to spot overbought/oversold conditions. A CCI reading above the +100 level would suggest that the stock is overbought and possibly primed for a correction. On the other hand, a reading of -100 would indicate that the stock is oversold.

Active investors are typically interested in the factors that drive stock price movements. Buying an individual stock means that you own a piece of the company. The hope is that the company does very well and becomes highly profitable. A profitable company may decide to do various things with the profits. They may reinvest profits back into the business, or they may choose to pay shareholders dividends from those earnings. Sometimes stocks may eventually become undervalued or overvalued. Spotting these trends may lead to further examination or the underlying fundamentals of the company. A company that continues to disappoint on the earnings front may have some issues that need to be addressed. It is highly important to make sure all the research is done on a stock, especially if the investor is heavily weighted on the name. Sometimes earnings reports may be good, but the stock price does not reflect that. Having a good understanding of the entire picture may help investors better travel the winding stock market road.

A popular tool among technical stock analysts is the moving average. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators that simply take the average price of a stock over a certain period of time. They may also be used to assist the trader figure out proper support and resistance levels for the stock. Currently, Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP) has a 200-day MA of 49.09, and a 50-day of 49.46. Presently, the stock has a 14-day RSI of 40.54 and the 7-day is sitting at 39.71. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is one of multiple popular technical indicators created by J. Welles Wilder. Wilder introduced RSI in his book “New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems” which was published in 1978. RSI measures the magnitude and velocity of directional price movements. The data is represented graphically by fluctuating between a value of 0 and 100. The indicator is computed by using the average losses and gains of a stock over a certain time period. RSI can be used to help spot overbought or oversold conditions. An RSI reading over 70 would be considered overbought, and a reading under 30 would indicate oversold conditions. A level of 50 would indicate neutral market momentum.

Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R presently is at -63.33. In general, if the reading goes above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes under -80, this may show the stock as being oversold. We can also take a look at the Average Directional Index or ADX of the stock. For traders looking to capitalize on trends, the ADX may be an essential technical tool. The ADX is used to measure trend strength. ADX calculations are made based on the moving average price range expansion over a specified amount of time. ADX is charted as a line with values ranging from 0 to 100. The indicator is non-directional meaning that it gauges trend strength whether the stock price is trending higher or lower. The 14-day ADX is 30.14. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would indicate a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would signify an extremely strong trend.